VIDEO: Khalil Rountree Scores Devastating First-Round Knockout Over Chris Daukaus at UFC Vegas 78

Rountree has put the light heavyweight division on notice with another brutal knockout.

Daniel Wade | Aug 12, 2023

VIDEO: Khalil Rountree Scores Devastating First-Round Knockout Over Chris Daukaus at UFC Vegas 78 /

Power has never been an issue for Khalil Rountree and he showed just how scary that power is against Chris Daukaus at UFC Vegas 78.

Daukaus was making his debut in the light heavyweight division, but he ended up against a fighter with heavyweight power. Midway through the first round, Rountree stunned Daukaus with a punch before following it up with a vicious left hand that dropped him. Referee Herb Dean jumped in quickly to stop any unnecessary damage as Daukaus was clearly out of sorts.

KHALIL ROUNTREE KNOCKS OUT DAUKAUS EARLY WITH THE LETHAL LEFT #UFCVegas78 https://t.co/H4Ef8tdx5c
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) August 13, 2023

“The War Horse” seems to have found his groove coming into the night on a 3-fight winning street with impressive finishes over Karl Roberson and Modesto Bukauskas.

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Rountree sometimes looks like he is one of the best fighters in the light heavyweight division, but consistent results were hard to come by until recently. Now he has shown that he is a true force to be reckoned with and is one of the more exciting fighters in the division.

It was not too long ago that Daukaus was one of the hottest fighters in the heavyweight division starting his UFC career with 4-straight wins. Unfortunately for the Philadelphia native, he would end up getting knocked out in 3-consecutive heavyweight bouts and deciding to try his chances at light heavyweight. After getting knocked out again in a new division, it is unclear what is next for the veteran.

As for what’s next for Rountree, he doesn’t know which opponent he would like to fight, but knows how he wants it to happen.

"I think the next step for me is a main event,” Rountree said. “I’d like to go five. I’d like to have a 5-round main event. I think that’s the next big challenge for me.”

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Published Aug 12, 2023

DANIEL WADE

Daniel Wade has been covering sports for almost ten years writing for multiple publications and hosting several podcasts. He has hosted the Locked On Chargers podcast for over 5 years and has had guest appearances covering the NFL for ESPN, Fox and other major outlets across the country. Dan has followed the UFC obsessively over the past several years and is ecstatic to break into the world of MMA writing.